Next story in Space

Video: Memorial service honors Neil Armstrong

CINCINNATI — U.S. flags flew at half-staff on Friday in memory of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, who was honored by fellow astronauts and other VIPs as a "brave, reluctant hero."

Armstrong passed away on Aug. 25 at the age of 82, due to complications that arose from heart surgery earlier in the month. President Barack Obama ordered that flags be flown at half-staff as a mark of respect for Armstrong, who landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, with Apollo 11 crewmate Buzz Aldrin.

Bill Ingalls / NASA via EPA

Apollo 11 astronauts Michael Collins, left, and Buzz Aldrin share a lighter moment at a private memorial service celebrating the life of Neil Armstrong, at the Camargo Club in Cincinnati on Friday.

It was Armstrong, the mission commander, who first emerged from the lunar module and placed the first human footprint on a celestial body beyond Earth. "That's one small step for a man — one giant leap for mankind," he declared.

A national memorial service is due to take place in Washington on Sept. 13, but so far Armstrong has been honored at a series of smaller-scale ceremonies — including a memorial service that was conducted earlier this week in Wapakoneta, the Ohio town where he was born, and services on Friday at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Alabama and NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The main focus of Friday's memorials was a private service conducted in suburban Cincinnati. Several of Armstrong's fellow Apollo astronauts were in attendance — including Aldrin as well as Michael Collins, who manned Apollo 11's command module while his two crewmates went down to the lunar surface.

The VIPs also included retired senator-astronaut John Glenn, 91, who became the first American to go into Earth orbit in 1962. Armstrong was a guest of honor earlier this year at a banquet at Ohio State University celebrating the 50th anniversary of Glenn's feat.

'Humble servant' saluted
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden called Armstrong "a pioneering American ... an explorer, a patriot and an individual who, with 'one small step,' achieved an impossible dream."

"His remarkable achievements will be forever remembered, and his grace and humility will always be admired," Bolden said in a statement keyed to the memorial service. "As we take the next giant leap forward in human exploration of our vast universe, we stand on the shoulders of this brave, reluctant hero. Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon paved the way for others to be the 'first' to step foot on another planet. We have an obligation to carry on this uniquely American legacy.

"A grateful nation offers praise and salutes a humble servant who answered the call and dared to dream," Bolden said.

After the service, Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders praised Armstrong for his wisdom and humility. "You'll never get a hero, in my view, like Neil Armstrong," Anders told The Associated Press. "It's going to be hard to top."

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican and friend of the Armstrong family, picked up on the description of Armstrong as a "reluctant hero" in his eulogy. Afterward, he said the ceremony blended deep emotion and humor. "He touched the lives of so many," Portman said.

Bill Ingalls / NASA

Carol Armstrong, wife of Neil Armstrong, and Piper Van Wagenen, one of the late astronaut's 10 grandchildren, watch an honor guard pass by during a memorial service on Friday at the Camargo Club in Cincinnati.

The service included remembrances from Armstrong's two sons, Rick and Mark; tunes from a bagpiper corps; and songs including "When the Saints Go Marching In." Four Navy fighter planes flew overhead at the end of the service, with one flying upward as a "missing man" tribute to Armstrong, a former Navy pilot who flew combat missions in Korea.

Astronauts remember Armstrong
Hours before the service, Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan and Apollo 13 commander James Lovell helped launch a health fund in Armstrong's honor at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. "America has truly lost a legend," Cernan said at a gathering to kick off the hospital's Neil Armstrong New Frontiers Initiative. Armstrong's widow, Carol, is on the hospital's board.

Cernan said Armstrong was a hero who "came from the culture of our country," growing up on a western Ohio farm, flying combat missions and then joining the space program.

Cernan and Lovell recounted visiting U.S troops in Iraq and Afghanistan with Armstrong, saying he always had an inspirational impact when meeting troops, schoolchildren and other admirers around the world.

Lovell said Armstrong was "a great American" who never capitalized on his celebrity and just "wanted to be a team player." While Armstrong said any of the astronauts could have been the first to walk on the moon, Lovell and Cernan said Armstrong was the right choice for the way he handled suddenly becoming an icon.

"There's nobody that I know of that could have accepted the challenge and responsibility that came with being that with more dignity than Neil Armstrong," Cernan said.

Cernan was the last astronaut to walk on the moon. Lovell was commander of Apollo 13, where an oxygen tank in the spaceship exploded and the moon mission was aborted.

Lovell and Cernan said they had visited Armstrong two months ago in his suburban Indian Hill home, and he cooked breakfast for them — and burned the eggs, Cernan said. "Neil Armstrong was probably one of the most human guys I've ever known in my life," he said.

A life devoted to flight
Raised in Wapakoneta, Armstrong developed an early love for aviation. He flew 78 combat missions during the Korean War as a Navy pilot, then became a test pilot after finishing college. Accepted into NASA's second astronaut class in 1962, he commanded the Gemini 8 mission in 1966. That set the stage for the historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969, which was watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

After his space career, Armstrong returned to Ohio, teaching aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati and generally avoiding public view for most of the rest of his life.

Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: "Astronaut Abby" is at the controls of a social-media machine that is launching the 15-year-old from Minnesota to Kazakhstan this month for the liftoff of the International Space Station's next crew.

Armstrong is survived by his wife and two sons as well as a stepson and stepdaughter, 10 grandchildren, a brother and a sister. After Armstrong's death, the family issued a statement calling him a "reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job." The statement also asked well-wishers to take a look at the moon, "think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."

Memorial contributions may be made to the hospital fund or two scholarship funds that have been set up in the astronaut's name.

American hero

Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong, who passed away on Aug. 25, 2012, will be forever known as the first man to set foot on the moon. This 1969 portrait shows Armstrong in his spacesuit, standing in front of a large photograph of the lunar surface.
(NASA via EPA)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Family portrait

Astronaut Neil Armstrong is pictured with his wife, Janet, and his two sons, Eric and Mark, on Aug. 26, 1963.
(Ralph Morse / Time & Life Pictures via Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

In training

Flying bedstead

Neil Armstrong strides alongside a lunar landing research vehicle, also known as a "flying bedstead," at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Aug. 1, 1964. The LLRV was used to train astronauts for landings on the moon. In 1968, Armstrong had to eject from an LLRV when the flight controls failed. It was one of the astronaut's closest calls.
(Ralph Morse / Time & Life Pictures via Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Suited up

Neil Armstrong sits in a mock space capsule, dressed in a full Navy Mark IV pressure suit (except for the helmet), during training for his Gemini space mission in the mid-1960s.
(Ralph Morse / Time & Life Pictures via Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Gemini 8

Commander Neil Armstrong (foreground) and pilot David Scott prepare to get into their Gemini 8 capsule on March 16, 1966. The mission marked the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit, but ended prematurely due to a thruster malfunction. Armstrong got the spacecraft under control and brought the capsule safely back to Earth for a Pacific splashdown.
(NASA via Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Here's the scoop

Neil Armstrong takes a photo of a sample that Buzz Aldrin is about to collect with a large scoop during a training session.
(NASA via Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

On their way

Neil Armstrong waves as he and his Apollo 11 crewmates head for the van that will take them to the Saturn 5 rocket for launch to the moon from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969.
(AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Shadow on the moon

Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong captures his own shadow on film while taking a photo of the lunar module on the moon's surface in July 1969.
(Neil Armstrong / NASA via Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Star-spangled moon

A frame from a 16mm movie shows Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin setting up an American flag on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 lunar mission on July 20, 1969.
(Time & Life Pictures / NASA via Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

One small step

Neil Armstrong steps into history on July 20, 1969, by leaving the first human footprint on the surface of the moon.
(NASA via Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Reflecting on history

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the moon next to the lunar module in this photo, taken by Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969. Aldrin's helmet visor reflects back the scene in front of him, including a small image of Armstrong taking the picture.
(Neil Armstrong / NASA via Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Astronaut at work

Neil Armstrong is seen near the lunar lander and the U.S. flag in a picture taken by Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969.
(Buzz Aldrin / NASA via AFP - Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Watching from afar

Ten thousand spectators gathered to watch giant television screens in New York's Central Park and cheer as astronaut Neil Armstrong took humanity's first step on the moon on July 20, 1969.
(AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Homeward bound

The lunar module, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin aboard, approaches the Apollo 11 command module for a rendezvous on July 21, 1969, marking the first leg of the homeward journey. A half-Earth is seen in the background.
(NASA via AFP - Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

All smiles

Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin laugh along with President Richard Nixon aboard the USS Hornet. The president was on hand to greet the astronauts after their splashdown in the Pacific on July 24, 1969. The crew was in a quarantine facility as a post-flight precaution.
(Richard Nixon Foundation / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Laughing at quarantine

Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin are in high spirits as they look out through the window of their mobile quarantine van on July 24, 1969.
(NASA via Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Family reunion

Neil Armstrong greets his son Mark on the telephone intercom system while his wife Janet and his other son Eric look on at Ellington Air Force Base in Texas on July 27, 1969. Armstrong and his crewmates were quarantined for 21 days after landing back on Earth, out of concern that they might have brought harmful germs back with them from the moon.
(NASA via Reuters)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Free at last

Ticker-tape parade

Apollo 11 astronauts Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong wave to crowds as they celebrate their return from the moon in a New York ticker-tape parade on Aug. 13, 1969.
(Time & Life Pictures / NASA via Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Behind a desk

After Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong was appointed deputy associate administrator for aeronautics at NASA Headquarters in Washington. In this picture, Armstrong is seen in his Washington office on July 23, 1970. He resigned from NASA in 1971, and became active in academia and the corporate world.
(AFP - Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Dealing with tragedy

After the shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986, Neil Armstrong was chosen to serve as the vice chairman of the presidential commission set up to investigate the tragedy. Armstrong is seen here listening to testimony before the commission in Washington on Feb. 11, 1986. Another member of the commission, David Acheson, listens in the background.
(Scott Stewart / AP)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

30 years later

Neil Armstrong is awarded the Samuel P. Langley Medal in front of the Apollo 11 command module at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, during a ceremony on July 20, 1999, marking the 30th anniversary of the first moon landing. Vice President Al Gore, applauding at right, presented medals to Armstrong as well as to Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
(Joyce Naltchayan / AFP - Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

A piece of history

Museumgoers walk around the Apollo 11 command module at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington on July 16, 2009, the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11's launch.
(Mark Wilson / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

40 years later

Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins stand in front of a lunar module exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington on July 19, 2009, the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
(Mark Avino / AFP - Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Hailed by the chief

President Barack Obama speaks with Neil Armstrong and fellow Apollo 11 crew members Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins during an Oval Office meeting on July 20, 2009, the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing.
(Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Hero on the Hill

Retired NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong is welcomed by Norman Augustine (left), chairman of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, and retired astronaut Eugene Cernan (obscured), commander of Apollo 17 mission, before the three testified on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2010. Armstong, Cernan and Augustine testified before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on the future of U.S. human spaceflight. During his testimony, Armstrong said he was "not confident" about the commercial market's ability to provide safe and reliable hardware for human spaceflight.
(Win McNamee / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Gold medal

Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong is presented with the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 16, 2011. The gold medals were presented to Armstrong and his fellow crew members from Apollo 11, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, and to retired senator-astronaut John Glenn, the first American to go into Earth orbit.
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Celebration time

Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong speaks during a celebration dinner at Ohio State University in Columbus, marking the 50th anniversary of retired senator-astronaut John Glenn's historic flight aboard Friendship 7. It was one of the last high-profile public events Armstrong attended.
(Bill Ingalls / NASA via Getty Images)
ShareBack to slideshow navigation

Editor's note:
This image contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.